Chapter Eight:

Laurel awoke from her nap to a light rapping on her door. She had always been a light sleeper. She yawned and padded over to the door, opening it to find the maid that had given her the pair of boots earlier that day.

"I have brought you the clothing item you requested earlier, my lady," she explained. Laurel nodded to the elleth and moved aside so that she could enter the room.

"Thank you, I had almost forgotten about that."

"Lady Arwen assisted us in the sizing. She explained that some of the dressed had not fit you when you first arrived, and adjustments would be needed." The maid held up a woven shirt of sorts that had two straps instead of sleeves and the back was held together by ties that criss-crossed a few times like a corset might. Laurel took the item from her and went to try it on. She had to lace the strings behind her back, which took some time, but she eventually figured it out. Overall, it fit quite well, not too tight, but not loose enough to where it wouldn't keep things in place. She glanced at her reflection in the small mirror, satisfied with what she saw and slipped a fresh tunic over her head.

"It fits wonderfully!" she thanked the maid as she reentered the room. She nodded her head to Laurel, and turned to go.

"Shall I take these clothes to be washed and bring a few clean pairs of tunics and breeches?" Laurel smiled and nodded her head quickly. It would seem most of the serving staff had realized that she preferred tunics and pants to the fine dresses that all the elleths here wore. Laurel stretched out her arms as the maid left the room. Her muscles felt stiff after her nap, she wasn't used to all this activity and training. She felt tired, actually tired, for the first time in many years. But that was nothing a few hours in warm sun couldn't cure! She begrudgingly pulled on her new boots, trying her best to acclimate to the feeling.

Walking out of her chamber and into the hallway, she did her best to remember the way down the the lower level and out to the gardens. She took a few wrong turns here and there, but after a while she had found the large archway with the stone steps that descended toward the gardens. Laughter and the padding of running feet caught her attention. She glanced to the right and saw a group of four children running around a large fountain and coming straight for her. Backing up a few steps, she studied them in confusion. It had been easily hundreds of years since she had seen actual children outside of book illustrations, but these children looked strange to her. They had overly large feet and faces that looked aged beyond that of a child's.

Once they grew closer and saw her standing close to the stairs they skidded to a stop, one of them falling and bowling two more of them over. The one left standing had dark brown curls atop his head and dark blue eyes. He was staring at her in surprise and quickly motioned for his companions to pick themselves up off the ground. The halflings righted themselves and looked up at her, only about ten feet away from her at this point.

"Hello, my name is Frodo," the brown-haired one said with a shy smile. He tapped the arms of his friends as he introduced them to her. "This is Samwise Gamgee," the shy, sandy-blond haired one waved to her. "And these two are Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrine Took." Laurel watched the last two bow their heads to her in greeting.

"We prefer Merry and Pippin, if you please," one of them said, Merry she guessed.

"What's your name, Miss? We're still tryin to learn all the names and such, and, well, we haven't seen you before," the one named Samwise explained.

"I'm Laurel," she supplied. "I just arrived in Imladris a few days ago, myself. When did you all arrive? And, if it's not too rude to ask, what are you exactly? Because you don't look like children, but you don't look entirely human either."

"I think she means Rivendell," one of them whispered.

"Oh! We're hobbits, Miss!" Frodo smiled to her. "And we only arrived last night. We were being chased by these terrifying riders in black." He gave a shudder at the memory.

"Frodo here was stabbed by one of their poisonous blades!" Pippin interjected. Sam elbowed him in the ribs, making a face that seemed to say not to reveal all their secrets. Laurel looked over to Frodo in surprise. She had heard about these riders just this morning from Lord Elrond.

"Are you alright?" she asked, concerned.

"I think so," he rubbed his side absentmindedly. "Although, I feel like it is a wound I'll carry with me for some time." She nodded her head in understanding, feeling sorry for the small hobbit. She couldn't imagine what he had been through. And yet, the small band of them were still cheerful after the fact.

"We were just heading to the dinning hall for some lunch, if you would like to join us," Frodo smiled up at her. Laurel gave them a weak smile and side stepped a few paces to the left, inching toward the garden.

"Um, that's alright, I'm not too terribly hungry at the moment," she explained.

"Well, we hope to see you another time then!" Frodo seemed to be the most talkative one and a sort of spokesperson for their small group. Laurel smiled politely and took her leave. She hurried off into the gardens before she could run into anyone else. Finding the waterfall and the large, clear pond that she loved so much, she smiled and sank down into the lush grass. Like the last time she was here, she heard the rustling of the bushes nearby, knowing that the forest animals would join her in the sunshine. As predicted, a few deer emerged from the trees, a couple fawns with them. Rabbits, chipmunks, turtles from the pond, and brightly colored birds gathered around her. She held a hand out to one of the little yellow birds and watched as it perched on her small index finger.

"How are you today, little one?" she asked cheerfully. The bird chirped and she saw a band of orcs roving through the trees. It looked like they were close to Imladris and setting up what looked like an ambush.

"When did you see this?" she asked in a panic, letting the bird feel her sense of urgency. The bird sent her its own sort of feeling and she interpreted it as around a half hour. They could be just outside the city walls, she realized. Elrohir could be out there patrolling! She scrambled to her feet, quickly running back toward the gardens and the training fields. Glorfindel, that's who she needed to find! Running as fast as her legs could carry her, she ducked under branches and hopped over fallen logs and rocks. She could see the training fields just up ahead next to the gardens.

From where she was, she could make out a tall blond figure in a green tunic. Glorfindel! She gave a sigh of relief as she would not need to hunt him down. She sprinted on and made her way up to the elf. Just as she neared him, about five feet away, he turned around and Laurel skidded to a stop, losing her balance and crashing into him. The blond elf caught her, a surprised look on his face, and helped right her.

"Oh," she panted, out of breath. "Legolas. I'm sorry, I thought you were Glorfindel." Legolas' face dropped a fraction at her words.

"Glorfindel? I was not aware the two of you were so well acquainted." He dropped his hands from her arms. Laurel glanced around the training fields, looking for the other blond elf she was searching for.

"Have you seen Glorfindel? I need to speak with him immediately!" she rushed, her cheeks flushed from running. Legolas' face was expressionless as he glanced down at the woman in front of him.

"I am sorry to say I have yet to see him today. Perhaps he has returned to patrol duty at the borders," he suggested. Laurel shook her head, still looking around.

"No, no, I was with him all morning, he couldn't have returned to the borders yet." Legolas' eyebrows shot up before he schooled his expression once more.

"Why were you with Glorfindel this morning?" he asked with a hint of suspicion. Laurel sighed and looked up at the elf in front of her.

"It, uh, it doesn't matter," she grumbled, getting frustrated. "I just need to find him." She realized she was wasting time by talking to Legolas, so she dodged around him and began to jog back towards the gardens. Legolas' eyes followed her as she went, his lips in a tight line.

"Mellon?" a voice from behind him spoke. Legolas turned to see Estel watching him closely. "Who was that woman?"

"No one," he clipped, notching an arrow and firing it mercilessly at the target.

Laurel had been directed by a servant that Glorfindel was in Lord Elrond's study and gave her directions. She stumbled her way down the halls and finally found the large wooden doors to the study. She burst through the doorway without knocking, her chest heaving for air.

"Lady Laurel!" Lord Elrond said in surprise. He looked up from his desk where he and Glorfindel had been going over plans of some kind.

"Glorfindel!" she gasped, catching her breath. "The borders.. Orcs... the bird told me.." she panted.

"Orcs?" Glorfindel rose from his position by Lord Elrond and strode over to her. "What about orcs?" Laurel took a deep breath and explained what she saw from the little yellow bird in the small meadow.

"The bird saw a band of orcs laying an ambush, maybe an hour ago? I recognized where they were, and they looked to be close to the borders."

The blond elf quickly called out to Lord Elrond behind him. "I will warn the guards." He strode out of the room at speed. Laurel followed him as closely as she could, beginning to run out of energy. She trailed behind him as he called for a servant to ready his horse.

"Let me come with you!" she called from behind him, gulping for air and her legs burned with the effort of keeping pace.

"No! Stay here!" he snapped. They came out into the courtyard and he quickly mounted his large white horse in a single leap.

"Please! I can ask the birds where they are and help you find them," she pleaded. Glorfindel paused for a moment, looking over his shoulder at her. He groaned and ran a hand down his face.

"Fine." He turned his horse and leaned down, wrapping an arm around her waist and hoisting her up into the saddle in front of him. He kicked the horse's flank and they took off, galloping toward the front gates. Laurel felt him wind an arm around her waist, pulling her tight against his chest as they rode at breakneck speed. As they tore down the path to the gates and passed the gardens and training fields, she caught sight of Legolas and the strange man she had seen earlier that day after her training. Legolas' eyes caught hers and a scowl of displeasure graced his face. Laurel was confused by his behavior, she thought Legolas liked her. Shaking the moody elf from her mind, they rode on, reaching the borders in record time. Glorfindel helped her dismount and he called over to the guards while she ran to the nearest tree and searched for a bird or squirrel or something. She heard the twittering of a bird and spotted a brown and white one perched in a high branch. She held out a hand and called out to it. The little bird flew down to her and hopped onto her hand.

"Please," she begged, "help me find the group of orcs!" The bird took off instantly and she walked back over to where Glorfindel was talking with three guards.

"A patrol is currently beyond these walls, Elrohir and Elladan among them," the guard informed them. Glorfindel's jaw clenched tight.

"When did you last see them?"

"Half of an hour I would guess. The patrols just switched not too long ago." As they spoke, Laurel felt the little brown bird perch on her shoulder. She saw from the bird's eyes the orc pack, maybe twenty or thirty of them, concealed behind a rocky ridge that was littered with trees and a trail that ran just below.

"Glorfindel," she called. The elf whipped his head around, spotting the bird on her shoulder. He took hold of her upper arm and pulled her to the side away from the guards.

"What did you find out?" he asked firmly. She relayed to him what she had seen to the best of her ability. He gave a curt nod and returned to the guards.

"There is an ambush of twenty to thirty orcs waiting behind a rocky ledge about two miles North of here. I will need ten guards to accompany me, we leave now!" The border patrol guards sensed the urgency in his voice and scrambled down from their posts to their horses tied up below.

"Stay here," he barked, mounting his horse again and riding out through the gates. Laurel was left at the gate with around seven guards. Just then, she heard the heavy beats of horses hooves from behind her. Twisting around, she saw Legolas and the man he was with earlier riding up to the gates.

"What has happened? I saw Glorfindel leave with a group of guards." Legolas dismounted as he addressed the nearest guard.

"He said there was a band of orcs waiting in ambush for the patrol."

"How did he know of this ambush?" Legolas pressed.

"I know not, your highness." Laurel's head whipped around to Legolas. Your highness? Legolas' eyes caught hers for a moment, his lips pursed in a hard line.

"My lord, Glorfindel left his woman behind, perhaps she should be escorted back to the city," the guard suggested, eyeing her. His woman? She was not anyone's woman! She clenched her jaw in anger.

"Of course," Legolas replied curtly. "Estel, could you bring Lady Laurel back to her rooms?" Laurel felt hurt for a moment, he had called her 'Lady Laurel' when he knew she preferred just 'Laurel'. What changed in him to make her lose his favor? She glanced up at him, a hurt look on her face.

"No! I'm staying here." Legolas frowned at her declaration.

"You will return with Estel, I will not have you in danger," he snapped. Laurel felt her cheeks flush in anger. Legolas took a half step back when he watched her emerald-green eyes slowly turn to near-black. His glare transformed into a look of shock and confusion.

"I can take care of myself and I will wait here until Glorfindel returns," she practically growled. She had not been so angry in all her life! She felt the tips of her fingers start to tingle and her vision began to blur. She was burning up and wavered on her feet, seeing spots. This wasn't good, she thought. She was running out of energy. She used up all she had when she ran all over Imladris to find Glorfindel and from training that morning. Her eyes drooped and she took an unsteady step backward. Legolas immediately noted the change in her and stepped forward just in time to catch her.

"Laurel!" he called to her, holding her to his chest. Laurel opened her hazy eyes and made out the silhouette of a very blurry Legolas. She wanted to say something but she had no energy left. She let her eyelids flutter closed.

"What's happened, mellon?" Estel called from behind him, swinging down from his saddle. Legolas held the young woman tightly to his chest as he looked up at his friend.

"I do not know, she seemed fine and then fainted suddenly. She is still breathing and I can hear her heartbeat." Estel looked down at the pair. He watched his old friend with the brunette woman, her long, wavy hair draping over his arm to brush the ground with its length. She was truly a sight. He could see why Glorfindel and Legolas shared an interest in her. He was unaware of her relationship with Glorfindel, having not yet met the young woman, but according to Legolas she had only arrived a couple days ago. It seemed strange for her to build such a strong bond with an elf such as Glorfindel in that short of time. He saw their interaction on the training field when she had confused him for Glorfindel, and he could tell that had greatly upset him. He had never seen his friend take such an interest in someone like this before.

Legolas stood up, the woman, Laurel, in his arms. Her head was tucked into the crook of his neck and he could feel her soft breath against his skin. He positioned her so that he held her up with one arm and swung back up into the saddle. He situated her so that her legs dangled to one side and her back rested against his chest. He wrapped his arms about her waist and grabbed his horse's reins.

"Let us return to the city," he called to Estel. As the brown-haired man swung up into his own saddle, they heard hoof beats in the distance.

"Open the gates!" a voice called from beyond the wall. The remaining guards on the wall scrambled to open the large gates to reveal Glorfindel, Elladan, Elrohir and a whole host of guards, some of which were wounded and weary. Black blood stained their swords and armor, making it clear they had found the orc ambush. Glorfindel spotted the unconscious Laurel in Legolas' arms, and quickly brought his horse up beside them.

"What happened?" he demanded, anger filling him.

"She fainted," he explained, glancing down at the woman. "What happened with the patrol?"

"A band of orcs ambushed them, thankfully our reinforcements arrived in time. We dispatched the foul creatures and no lives were lost." Glorfindel eyed the way Legolas was holding Laurel, deciding that it was much too familiar a gesture. "Give her to me," he demanded, leveling a cold stare. Legolas hesitated. He wanted to look after her, not hand her over like some burden for someone else to carry.

"Now, Prince Legolas," Glorfindel ground out, his temper beginning to show. Legolas grit his teeth and loosened his grip on the woman, letting Glorfindel reach over and hoist her out of his saddle to settle her on his own. Laurel mumbled softly in her sleep, drawing their attention.

"Laurel," Glorfindel called out to the sleeping woman. "Can you hear me?" Laurel's eye fluttered open a fraction of an inch, just enough to recognize Glorfindel and his voice.

"Mmm, Glor..." she trailed off. She took in a deep breath, letting out a long, sleepy sigh. "Tired..." Glorfindel's expression softened slightly.

"Tell me what what you need tithes lissuin."* Legolas watched the interaction with his hands clenched tightly around his reins. He did not completely understand the feelings he had for this woman, but it was clear that she had some sort of relationship with the old, blond warrior. He saw Laurel's hand gently grip Glorfindel's sleeve.

"Sun," she mumbled sleepily. Legolas was confused by her answer. She needed a son? From Glorfindel? He felt his jaw tense with so much force he was worried he might chip some of his teeth. Glorfindel nodded to her, seeming to know what she was asking for. He called behind him to Elrond's sons, giving them instructions and advising them to inform their father of the recent events. He wrapped his arms tighter around Laurel and Legolas watched as her hair streamed down over his arm and nearly reached the stirrup with its length. Oh how he just wanted to run his fingers through those luscious waves.

Glorfindel prodded his horse into motion, galloping off toward the city, except that before he reached the courtyards he turned to the right, heading into the trees where he knew a small meadow lied. Legolas felt his blood boil when he thought of what Glorfindel was about to do with the young woman. It would appear he had severely misjudged the situation. She was only interested in Glorfindel, not him, and it would stand to reason that he should waste no more time thinking about her.

Glorfindel rode into a small meadow, slowing his horse and carefully dismounting with Laurel in his arms. He made sure that he picked a sunny spot to sit down and waited, absently stroking her hair away from her face. She was a striking young woman, he had to admit. Well, that wasn't entirely true. According to her story, she was at least a thousand years old, if not more. So technically that made her a striking, old woman.

He would never admit this to anyone, but he secretly regretted never settling down and starting a family. When she shared her past with him and he took responsibility of her training and safety, he couldn't help but feel that she was almost like a daughter to him. He wanted to keep her safe, and when he saw her limp body in the arms of the young prince, he had seen absolute red. He did not trust the elven prince nor his motives. Laurel was naïve to the attentions of men and would be easy pickings for a charismatic and charming prince like Legolas Thranduilion.

He sat there in the grass for a while, noticing that butterflies had started to flutter around them. He watched in amazement at the sight before being drawn to the tree line where other woodland animals were watching them closely. The corner of his lips drew up in a small smile. She was truly unlike anyone he had ever met. After a few more minutes he felt her begin to stir.

"What happened?" her voice rasped, blinking as the light shone into her eyes.

"Legolas said that you fainted," he reminded her. Legolas? She tried to remember what had happened after Glorfindel left.

"Oh, right," she recalled. "He told me to go back to my rooms, and I told him no. I just remember becoming so angry, angrier than I have ever been. My vision went blurry and I felt really hot. My hands were tingling. It was a frightening experience that I hope never happens again." She started to sit up and Glorfindel released her from his arms. "Did you find the orcs?" she asked with a yawn.

"We did. The patrolling party had just fallen into the ambush when we arrived and we were able to cut down every orc with no casualties of our own. You saved many lives today." Laurel's eyes widened. She had never saved anyone before! She liked the way that felt, to be valued.

"I'm just glad I could help," she smiled. Glorfindel studied her face, noticing the remaining traces of dark circles under her eyes.

"Are you getting enough sun each day?" Laurel looked away, chewing on her lip.

"Usually yes, but today I had done so much training and then I had ran around looking for you, I didn't have time to get enough sun. I'm not used to this level of activity, but with time I assume it will get easier." She gave him a sheepish smile. The elf looked down at her with an unimpressed look.

"You have to be better prepared in the future." He stood abruptly, ending their conversation. Laurel laid down on her back in the grass.

"I think I'll stay here for a little while, I know you probably have to go speak with Lord Elrond," she said softly, her eyes drifting closed.

"Will you be alright here by yourself?" Glorfindel glanced around, noting the animals that had been creeping closer to the pair.

"Yeah," she sighed sleepily. "The animals will watch over me," she assured him. Glorfindel finally gave her a nod and mounted his horse.

"If I do not see you later this evening, do not worry about training tomorrow, take the day to rest and recover."

"Mmm, okay," she breathed, spreading her arms out over her head. She listened to retreating sounds of the soft hoof beats of his horse as he made his way back to the main halls.

*tithen lissuin = little flower (this is a fragrant flower that is said to bring the heart ease)